Arsenal had heard the jibe from fans of a Wigan team in the lower half of League One and a Wolves side marooned at the bottom of the Premier League. “Second again” may have become part of the banter-sphere. This time, though, the danger is that they end up second in a one-horse race.
Defeat at Manchester City left them still top and with what looks like an easier fixture list, but with Pep Guardiola’s team on the charge and Mikel Arteta’s on a run of four defeats against English clubs. They produced their best performance at the Etihad Stadium at that time. The pragmatist in Arteta still has no points, whereas one would have kept the distance from his former club.
